Predators (R) Dir: Nimród Antal
This film is currently playing all over Orange County theaters.
Dropped off at an alien jungle planet (which resembles ours), a group of elite warriors from Earth are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators. The human warriors include some soldiers (one of them a woman), a Yakuza member, a doctor, and a convict. While surviving in the jungle, dodging booby traps and alien antagonists, they try to find a way to survive and get back home.
Directed by Nimród Antal (Vacancy), this sci-fi/horror actioner takes place after the original Predator (1987), which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Loosely based on the concept from The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, the film was about an alien with an invisible camouflage suit hunting and killing humans for sport at a jungle in Central America. This film’s plot is essentially the same except it takes place in another planet (a game reserve) and humans are brought in to become prey. This film starts off with eight humans falling from the sky in a parachute with little memory of how they got there. Kind of like Lost, each character has various different (and violent) backgrounds. Adrian Brody’s character, a black ops mercenary, becomes the leader of the group.
I really enjoyed this film. Despite its B-movie conceit (a game reserve planet? Seriously?), many things worked well as a suspenseful sci-fi/horror actioner. The script and the characters were more clever and twisty than most action flicks of this ilk. Adrian Brody’s character remains pretty logical most of the time for an action hero. Decisions he makes make sense. Likewise, one of the appealing elements of the first Predator film was how Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) had to eventually use his smarts to defeat his enemy.
Tightly paced and adroitly directed by Nimród Antal, this film gets many things right. The tension builds over time. The creature designs, the sets, the ship, and the atmosphere of the film have a solid charm that doesn’t feel haphazard or lazy (like let's say, the AVP: Aliens vs. Predator crossover films). There’s some good use of lighting. The foliage looks cool. The characters may be cut-outs, but engaging. One of the newer aliens that make an appearance is an alien attack dog with horns all over its body. When they start chasing after humans in the jungle at full speed, they look pretty darn dangerous, despite being all CG. While I generally liked the original’s Predator design, I had found the alien suit a bit rubbery looking (and lost that mystery when it was no longer invisible). In this film, the monsters do feel slightly more updated and a little more organic (certainly more than AVP). They also seem taller and more intimidating. The action scenes are well done, with some actual suspense thrown in. As expected, there were plenty of gore and violence. There are also some fun uses of camera--for instance, when the camera plummets with the rest of the cast from a high rock into a pool in the jungle.
The acting is competent. The characters themselves are pre-packaged archetypes that we’ve known from so many films. They’re not very complex--we know how a convict, a Yakuza, a drug dealer, or a Russian soldier is supposed to act, and they act as we expect them to. Adrian Brody is given the meatiest role as the quick-thinking leader. With his thin frame, I felt he was miscast to particularly play this tough guy role. Then again, he does bring an everyman feel to his character. Lawrence Fishburn is hilarious in an unusual role as a half-crazed hermit they bump into.
The soundtrack by John Debney is used to great effect, bringing in a sense of scale and menace, with some noticeable homage to Alan Silvestri’s soundtrack from the original. When the Predators make their first appearance, there’s a certain poetic look in the way they’re introduced that could have come out cheesy in the wrong hands.
Simply put, I was fully entertained by this film. Sci-fi horror is one of my favorite genres and it’s rare for me to find myself fully engaged by the thrills and chills of a film these days, especially a sequel, which often tends to just reuse the same gags and ideas piggybacking on the strength of the original. For a sequel, this film was original and refreshing. It was peppered with just enough cleverness for it to be taken more seriously than an average B-movie, or any of the sequels. Sure, I enjoyed the first film—it was fun, but admittedly, much of my appreciation is nostalgia and Arnold “Get to the Choppa!” Schwarzenegger’s star power made it a true “guy film.” Our current film does more with its budget and appears to up the level and the scale of the Predator universe. Adrian Brody is certainly no Arnold, but don’t let that deter you. It accomplishes many things in other ways.
*** out of **** stars.
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